Some pyrrolobenzodiazepines (PBDs) have the ability to recognise and bond to specific sequences of DNA; the preferred sequence is PuGPu. The first PBD antitumour antibiotic, anthramycin, was discovered in 1965 (Leimgruber, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 87, 5793-5795 (1965); Leimgruber, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 87, 5791-5793 (1965)). Since then, a number of naturally occurring PBDs have been reported, and numerous synthetic routes have been developed to a variety of analogues (Thurston, et al., Chem. Rev. 1994, 433-465 (1994); Antonow, D. and Thurston, D. E., Chem. Rev. 2011 111 (4), 2815-2864). Family members include abbeymycin (Hochlowski, et al., J. Antibiotics, 40, 145-148 (1987)), chicamycin (Konishi, et al., J. Antibiotics, 37, 200-206 (1984)), DC-81 (Japanese Patent 58-180 487; Thurston, et al., Chem. Brit., 26, 767-772 (1990); Bose, et al., Tetrahedron, 48, 751-758 (1992)), mazethramycin (Kuminoto, et al., J. Antibiotics, 33, 665-667 (1980)), neothramycins A and B (Takeuchi, et al., J. Antibiotics, 29, 93-96 (1976)), porothramycin (Tsunakawa, et al., J. Antibiotics, 41, 1366-1373 (1988)), prothracarcin (Shimizu, et al, J. Antibiotics, 29, 2492-2503 (1982); Langley and Thurston, J. Org. Chem., 52, 91-97 (1987)), sibanomicin (DC-102)(Hara, et al., J. Antibiotics, 41, 702-704 (1988); Itoh, et al., J. Antibiotics, 41, 1281-1284 (1988)), sibiromycin (Leber, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 110, 2992-2993 (1988)) and tomamycin (Arima, et al., J. Antibiotics, 25, 437-444 (1972)). PBDs are of the general structure:

They differ in the number, type and position of substituents, in both their aromatic A rings and pyrrolo C rings, and in the degree of saturation of the C ring. In the B-ring there is either an imine (N═C), a carbinolamine(NH—CH(OH)), or a carbinolamine methyl ether (NH—CH(OMe)) at the N10-C11 position which is the electrophilic centre responsible for alkylating DNA. All of the known natural products have an (S)-configuration at the chiral C11a position which provides them with a right-handed twist when viewed from the C ring towards the A ring. This gives them the appropriate three-dimensional shape for isohelicity with the minor groove of B-form DNA, leading to a snug fit at the binding site (Kohn, In Antibiotics III. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 3-11 (1975); Hurley and Needham-VanDevanter, Acc. Chem. Res., 19, 230-237 (1986)). Their ability to form an adduct in the minor groove, enables them to interfere with DNA processing, hence their use as antitumour agents.
It has been previously disclosed that the biological activity of this molecules can be potentiated by joining two PBD units together through their C8/C′-hydroxyl functionalities via a flexible alkylene linker (Bose, D. S., et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 114, 4939-4941 (1992); Thurston, D. E., et al., J. Org. Chem., 61, 8141-8147 (1996)). The PBD dimers are thought to form sequence-selective DNA lesions such as the palindromic 5′-Pu-GATC-Py-3′ interstrand cross-link (Smellie, M., et al., Biochemistry, 42, 8232-8239 (2003); Martin, C., et al., Biochemistry, 44, 4135-4147) which is thought to be mainly responsible for their biological activity. One example of a PBD dimmer, SG2000 (SJG-136):
has recently entered Phase II clinical trials in the oncology area (Gregson, S., et al., J. Med. Chem., 44, 737-748 (2001); Alley, M. C., et al., Cancer Research, 64, 6700-6706 (2004); Hartley, J. A., et al., Cancer Research, 64, 6693-6699 (2004)).
More recently, the present inventors have previously disclosed in WO 2005/085251, dimeric PBD compounds bearing C2 aryl substituents, such as SG2202 (ZC-207):
and in WO2006/111759, bisulphites of such PBD compounds, for example SG2285 (ZC-423):

These compounds have been shown to be highly useful cytotoxic agents (Howard, P. W., et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. (2009), 19 (22), 6463-6466, doi: 10.1016/j.bmc1.2009.09.012).
WO 2010/043880 discloses unsymmetrical dimeric pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) compound bearing aryl groups in the C2 position of each monomer, where one of these aryl groups bears a substituent designed to provide an anchor for linking the compound to another moiety. WO 2011/130613, discloses the inclusion of these PBD dimer compounds in targeted conjugates.
WO 2011/130616, discloses unsymmetrical dimeric PBD compound bearing an aryl group in the C2 position of one monomer bearing a substituent designed to provide an anchor for linking the compound to another moiety, the other monomer bearing a non-aromatic group in the C2 position. The inclusion of these compounds in targeted conjugates is also disclosed.
Co-pending International application PCT/EP2012/068506, filed 20 Sep. 2012, discloses unsymmetrical dimeric PBD compound bearing an propylyne in the C2 position of one monomer bearing a substituent designed to provide an anchor for linking the compound to another moiety, the other monomer bearing an aromatic or non-aromatic group in the C2 position. The inclusion of these compounds in targeted conjugates is also disclosed.
A further co-pending International application, filed 12 Oct. 2012, and claiming priority from U.S. 61/547,198, discloses unsymmetrical dimeric PBD compound bearing a propylene group in the C2 position of one monomer bearing a substituent designed to provide an anchor for linking the compound to another moiety, the other monomer bearing an aromatic or non-aromatic group in the C2 position. The inclusion of these compounds in targeted conjugates is also disclosed.
The synthesis of the dimeric PBD compounds bearing a linker for attachment to a cell binding agent in these applications is exemplified as proceeding via the drug intended to be released, with the addition of the linking groups to a PBD with no protection at the N10-C11 position.